1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an apparatus for opening bottled beverages, and more particularly to a bottle opener that resembles a diving lure used for fishing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several types of manual bottle openers are known in the art, including bottle openers having a corkscrew and a knife blade such as the device described in U.S. Pat. No. 637,048 to Toulotte, which is incorporated herein by reference. Other examples of known bottle openers include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 278,951, 2,010,326, 2,829,432, 5,829,965, 6,142,769, D184,822, D334,696, D393,993, D406,025, D421,373, D421,559, and D437,025, each of which is also incorporated herein by reference. However, with the exception of U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,010,326, D184,822, D334,696, D406,025, and D421,559, the foregoing bottle openers generally do not incorporate aesthetically attractive design features with the functional features of the bottle opener. More particularly, except for U.S. Patent Nos. D184,822 and D334,696, none of the foregoing known bottle openers incorporates design features that would be particularly attractive to fishermen. The D184,822 patent discloses a tool having an ash tray, a can and bottle opener, and a fish scaler in the general shape of a fish that would presumably be attractive to fishermen, but that tool has numerous sharp and pointed protrusions which would present cutting hazards to people and other equipment when the tool is not in use. Similarly, the D334,696 patent discloses a bottle opener having an overall shape that resembles a shark, which presumably would be attractive to fishermen, but the D334,696 bottle opener has several pointed protrusions which would present puncture hazards to people and other equipment when the tool is not in use. Such protrusions also make the tool more difficult to grasp during use. Another drawback of the D334,696 bottle opener is that it is quite thin, which also makes it more difficult to grasp during use.
In view of the foregoing limitations and drawbacks, there is a need in the art for a bottle opener that is attractive to fishermen, easy to handle, and does not have exposed sharp or pointed protrusions which present safety hazards to the user.